1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector.
2. Related Background Art
Connectors have been known as a device for connecting signal transmission lines between instruments. The connectors are exposed to the outside in general. Therefore, there is a possibility of electrostatic surges being inputted through a connector from the outside and breaking circuit elements in the instruments.
As measures against such electrostatic surges, surge absorbing elements such as varistors may be used. However, the surge absorbing elements such as varistors have stray capacitance components and stray inductance components. Therefore, employing a surge absorbing element in a circuit handling a high-speed signal may deteriorate the high-speed signal. For employing a surge absorbing element in a circuit handling a high-speed signal, rise and delay characteristics of the high-speed signal cannot be kept from deteriorating unless the stray capacitance component in the surge absorbing element is made small. However, lowering the stray capacitance component of a surge absorbing element increases the control voltage of the surge absorbing element and decreases the energy tolerance in the surge absorbing element.
Known as a surge absorbing element which alleviates the influence of the stray capacitance component is one comprising an inductor and two varistors (see, for example, Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-60838). The surge absorbing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 comprises a parallel circuit composed of a first varistor and an inductor, a second varistor electrically connected in series to the parallel circuit, and an I/O electrode and a ground electrode which are connected to both ends of a series circuit constructed by the second varistor and parallel circuit.